So I've read about oxygen binding to wort compounds if it is aerated when the wort is hot. But I am now experiencing the flavors firsthand. Many brewers are probably smart enough to avoid this without knowing what flavors they are avoiding. So, let me share:

My first all grain recipe was Edwort's haus pale which was brewed a couple of months ago. I had everything pre-planned and figured out according to so many HBTers advice. The one thing that escaped my practice was lautering with tubes. I simply opened the valve on my MT and let it pour a good four feet down to my brew pot. I didn't even realize what I did until after the brew day was done: Hot wort aeration

Now that I am drinking it, I realize to the full extent the problem this caused. The smell is the most appalling. It certainly isn't undrinkable but it smells like well seasoned football pads. If you ever played football, you know what I am talking about. The aroma is sweet and almost moldy. The flavor isn't affected that much. I like my beer served around 55F and it is just not possible with this one. The only escape, or masking, this aroma is to serve it ice cold.

I've read a lot around here and mostly (at least to me) it seems that HSA is the homebrewers boogeyman. Although the only other explanation for at s--t smell/taste is another tough thing to do, autolysis...
How long was it on the primary yeast?

In either case, i feel for ya, there's nothing like hoping for a good beer and ending up with a crappy one...

It is highly improbable that the flavors that you are describing can be attributed to HSA.

Take a gander at this video (featuring Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery) and see the large distance hot wort is falling. If HSA isn't an issue there, you can be pretty well assured that it won't be an issue for you in your brewery.

There's some other culprit responsible for the foul taste and aroma. Some details, please. How old is the beer? How long was it conditioning? Your process?

I thought of infection, but there were no visible signs and the beer is certainly drinkable. I was under the impression both these things wouldn't occur by infection. What else should I look for besides that aroma that could attribute this to autolysis?

Autolyis is also very difficuly to get, the only reason I mentioned it was because you said it was brewed a while ago. If you let it sit in primary too long then autolysis *could* be one possible explanation for the off flavor...
FTR I've never experienced autolysis myself and have left mid gravity beer in primary for 5weeks.

EDIT:
Bottling after 2 weeks would most likely rule autolysis out.
It must be some other infection/off flavor...